


All we do is think about the feelings that we hide

by everythingisconnected



Series: thorbruce [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, Denial of Feelings, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Holding Hands, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Loki ships it, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 12:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18549361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everythingisconnected/pseuds/everythingisconnected
Summary: Bruce develops feelings for Thor throughout Ragnarok as they become closer, then even closer post-Ragnarok, but will the events of Infinity War push them into finally admitting their feelings, that they like each other more than just friends?Loki can easily see through their shit.





	All we do is think about the feelings that we hide

**Author's Note:**

> First thorbruce fic so hope its not ooc, also includes references to deleted scenes from Ragnarok

When Bruce had first met Thor in New York, when Loki had sent in Thanos’ army, he’d never once thought he’d end up this head over heels for the god of thunder.

Sure, he was an attractive guy, but they didn’t know each other very well. Back then he’d been too caught up in his fling with Natasha. Thor probably only cared about the other guy, and at the time he’d thought Natasha was the only one who could see beyond the big green monster he shared a body with.

Meeting Thor again on Sakaar was definitely unexpected. He’d been the Hulk for 2 years, memories a blur. It seemed that the other guy ended up taking a liking to Thor in the end. Then he’d transformed back, and Thor had looked after him, he’d looked _really_ good with his short hair, it made Bruce a little flustered. Along with the constant casual touches, but maybe that was just what all Asgardians were like and he wasn’t special?

They’d become closer as time went on, meeting Valkyrie (as himself and not the Hulk), becoming the Revengers, escaping Sakaar through the devil’s anus. That was a prominent moment in his memory, when him and Thor were in the Grandmaster’s orgy ship, yelling excited praise at each other as Valkyrie piloted. Bruce hadn’t remembered when he’d last felt this comfortable around someone. Maybe Tony, his science bro, but that wasn’t exactly the relationship he’d compare this one too. Or maybe Natasha, he’d been relatively comfortable around her, but it was more than that. It was a deeper connection.

He trusted Thor. They were good friends, and he was pretty sure they’d already reached the ‘would die for each other’ level. He’d sacrificed turning into the Hulk and never coming back on Asgard, when he’d done what he could to save Thor’s people from Hela. 

They’d saved the Asgardians, but at the cost of Asgard itself.

-

When Bruce had woken up, he felt pretty much as bad as he did when he transformed back from the Hulk on the quinjet after 2 years. At least this time he was in a comfortable bed, covered by sheets instead of naked in a destroyed spaceship. He was still naked though.

It’d come back to him gradually, Asgard was gone, and they were in a massive spaceship along with the Asgardian people. At least he’d managed to semi-entertain himself by pressing buttons on some device on a nearby shelf, which ended up showing a pretty disturbing hologram involving the Grandmaster and some tentacles.

The only clothes around were in some weird drawer that was built into the wall, and they looked ridiculous on him. Way too tight and frilly for his liking.

One thing he did notice though, at the end of his small rectangular room, was the floor-to-ceiling window looking out into the expanse of space. He’d sat there for hours, watching different galaxies, nebulas, millions of twinkling stars pass them by. It was the most fascinating view he’d ever seen, and he’d seen a lot of things.

After a while of analysing the stars and constellations, the scientist was joined by another who’d sat down next to him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I see you’re awake, Banner,” Thor said, smiling at him radiantly. Bruce jumped at the touch and presence, relaxing slightly when he realised who he was joined by.

“Yeah,” Bruce couldn’t decide whether he wanted to look at Thor or the stars more. “How long was I out?”

“Three days,” Thor removed his hand, and Bruce had to admit that made him a little disappointed. “I worried you’d never wake.”

“I’m-” Bruce ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to clear his foggy brain. “-fine, I think. Not a fan of these clothes though.”

Thor chuckled. “They oddly suit you. The Grandmaster was always a bit... eccentric.”

“Sure, that’s the word for it,” Bruce glanced back at the device on the shelf that’d shown him that hologram. “He’s weird, man. Like, really messed up.”

“Indeed. I too saw those... holograms,” Thor grimaced. “I believe they’re in every bedroom.”

“I don’t even want to know what he was doing,” Bruce cringed a little. 

“Nor do I,” Thor agreed, followed by a moment of comfortable silence, just the two of them with soft smiles staring out into space.

“Thor?” Bruce asked, shuffling a bit closer to the god. 

“Yes, Banner?”

“You’re doing OK, right? I don’t remember much of what happened, but Asgard… it’s gone, right?”

Thor’s face fell, and suddenly Bruce felt incredibly guilty for bringing it up. “Yes. But, Asgard isn’t a place, it’s the people. There’s still hope.”

“Yeah, I’m so sorry,” Bruce placed a hand on Thor’s knee, and his heart jumped when Thor covered it with his own. 

“But I’ve lost everything. My father. My hammer. My planet. It’s hard to have hope in times like this.”

“You’re not the god of hammers. And my father died too. I wasn’t even there to see it,” Bruce started. “Too busy obsessing over my gamma ray experiments. Missed my own father’s death.”

“My father was killed right in front of me, by my sister, who I didn’t know existed because she was kept a secret from me my whole life,” Thor said dejectedly. 

“I’m really sorry, that was a terrible comparison, just had nothing to do with what you’re going through,” Bruce shook his head and looked away.

“And my family, it’s like we’re cursed to fight amongst ourselves while everyone else suffers for it,” Thor sighed deeply. “And even when she was finally defeated, I’ve lost everything.”

“Hey, at least you have me,” Bruce chuckled sarcastically. “I may not be of much use like this, but there’s Loki, Valkyrie, your people…”

“I do have you,” Thor smiled and took Bruce’s hand in his. “And for that I’m very thankful.”

Bruce’s face lit up, looking away again to hide the blush and ignore the pounding of his heart at the gesture. He felt like a fucking teenager again. Thor shouldn’t be having this much of an effect on him. It was embarrassing.

“Yeah, I- um, I’m here for you,” Bruce finally looked at Thor, noticing his lack of an eye for the first time. “Wait, how’d you lose an eye?”

Thor chuckled. “Oh, that was my sister too.”

“It’s cool. You look like Fury,” Bruce said. “But better. Like some sort of hot space pirate.”

Thor smiled to himself, squeezing Bruce’s hand. “Thank you, Banner. I’m glad you like it.”

 _Shit_ , Bruce had thought to himself, after he’d thought about what he said and realised he’d called Thor hot. If he had noticed, it hadn’t seemed to bother him which was a good sign.

“Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds,” Loki pushed the door open, entering the room and carrying a bowl. “Thought I’d bring Bruce here some delicious food to wake him up.”

“Loki, what are you-” Thor turned around, noticing the bowl. “Oh. Thank you, brother. Very… thoughtful.”

“Indeed I am,” Loki grinned, passing Bruce the bowl. “It’s a luxury from Sakaar. Enjoy.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Bruce stared into the bowl of weirdly thick noodles. Loki was quick to disappear again. Bruce had forgotten that he’d still been holding Thor’s hand the entire time. 

The bowl was on his lap as he started shovelling them into his mouth. He hadn’t realised how hungry he’d been until now. 

“Mmm, these are really nice,” Bruce said through a mouthful of noodles. He continued to eat as they both sat together. It was really peaceful for once, just the two of them next to each other. Bruce found himself leaning into Thor so their arms were pressed together. Thor didn’t budge, in fact he moved into the touch.

“That way,” Thor pointed outside the window to a cluster of stars in the distance. “Is the nearest supermassive black hole to Asgard. I visited it as a child with my father and Loki. Truly beautiful.”

“I’ve always wanted to see a black hole, in real life,” Bruce glanced in the direction Thor was pointing. “Only seen them in movies or digitally rendered. They’re fascinating, swallowing all that matter. Like, what’s inside? How can something be so infinitely dense? Does it lead to another part of space? Or is it just nothingness?”

“I’ll take you there,” Thor said. “We’ll get as close as we can. Anywhere in the Nine Realms, I can show you.”

“Wow,” Bruce grinned. “I’m honoured. I’d love to- of course.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Bruce noticed Thor staring quizzically at his food. “What?”

Thor cleared his throat awkwardly. Bruce looked down, noticing a terrifying-looking bug at the end of the noodle he was eating. He instantly started coughing and spluttering, ripping the thing from his mouth and throwing it across the room.

“Where’d that come from? Was that in me the whole time? You think that’s its tail?” Bruce shoved the rest of the bowl away from him. 

“Never trust anything Loki gives you,” Thor rolled his eye. “I’m sorry Banner, I should’ve known not to trust my mischievous brother.” 

“Oh god,” Bruce was still coughing. “I’m glad you noticed. Imagine eating that… thing.”

“Hm,” Thor stared at it with disgust. 

“Anyway, can you show me around this ship? It looks pretty big,” Bruce asked. Thor smiled in response. 

“Of course, Banner. There’s plenty to see.”

-

_He was on Asgard. He recognised that from his surroundings. Except it wasn’t him. It was the other guy, the Hulk._

_A huge black wolf was chasing him through the water, teeth digging into his leg. Hulk retaliated and sent a hard punch to the wolf, releasing his leg. Then the Hulk did something else, that he didn’t remember happening._

_He was so angry. He was barely himself, there was none of Banner left. The Hulk was charging down the rainbow bridge, innocent Asgardians falling into the water as the bridge crumbled beneath him. Hulk’s fist had already reached for several and he was squeezing the life out of them._

_He was so angry. He tore the ship out of the sky, and it crashed into the water. The bridge was almost completely submerged beneath the water. All these deaths, they weren’t because of Hela, they were because of him._

Bruce woke up in a sweat. He was used to having nightmares, but he hadn’t slept much in the 2 years he was the Hulk, so he hadn’t had a proper one in a while. Giving up on sleep for now, he got out of bed and decided to take a walk around the ship.

Last night Thor had showed him everywhere, all the different corners and amazing views the ship had to offer. They’d ended up in some questionable-looking rooms, but that was to be expected from the Grandmaster. 

He ended up down the other end of the corridor, slowing when he noticed the door to Thor’s room was open. Thor’s room was slightly bigger than his, square-shaped with a huge bed at one end and a window at the other. Bruce peered inside to find Thor wasn’t asleep either, and was standing by the window looking broody.

“Thor?” Bruce peeked round the the doorframe. Thor instantly turned around and his face lit up when he noticed it was Bruce.

“Banner,” Thor grinned. “Is everything alright?”

“Just the usual, nightmares, can’t sleep,” Bruce explained. “Can I come in?”

“Of course. You’re welcome to join me,” Thor pressed a button on the wall and the window dimmed to black, the only light in the room a thin strip above the bed. “I too cannot sleep.”

Bruce sat down on the end of the bed, just realising he was only wearing a thin pair of pants. It was too late now to go back and change so he was appropriately dressed when in Thor’s presence.

“Nightmares too?” he asked as Thor sat down next to him.

“Yes,” Thor said. “Every time I close my eyes, all I see is Asgard burning, and that I’m helpless to stop it.”

Bruce sighed. “I get that. Except I lose control, become the Hulk forever and the deaths of innocent people, they’re all on me.”

“The Hulk’s not that bad when you get to know him,” Thor tried to lighten up the mood. “Although, I did get to know him a little more than I’d expected to.”

“Wait, what?” Bruce turned to Thor. “What does that mean?”

“On Sakaar, he got out of the bathtub. Very… naked,” Thor looked away awkwardly.

“Oh god,” Bruce looked terrified. “You saw the Hulk naked?”

“Yes,” Thor laughed. “I guess I did.”

“That’s- I promise I don’t really look like that, underneath…” Bruce stuttered, turning red in embarrassment.

“I’m sure you don’t. You’re a lot less green than him,” Thor said, chuckling to himself. “And definitely more handsome.”

“Really? Me? You think that?” Bruce became even more flustered. “Have you seen yourself? You’re like a beautiful god, I’m like nothing compared to you.”

“Banner, you’re too hard on yourself,” Thor wrapped an arm around Bruce’s shoulders and pulled him closer. “You’re an incredible friend. Anyone would be lucky to have you. I sometimes think I’m undeserving of your friendship.”

There it was, the reminder that they’d only ever be friends, that Thor complementing Bruce was just him being nice, probably feeling sorry for him. Bruce needed to stop getting caught up in the fantasy that maybe Thor liked him back. It’d never happen.

“Thanks, Thor,” Bruce smiled half-heartedly. “There’s no way you don’t deserve me. Have you seen me? I’m a mess.”

“Banner,” Thor sighed. “One day you’ll realise how beautiful you are, inside and out.”

Bruce couldn’t help but blush yet again. “Whatever you say.”

“You must rest,” Thor said, standing up much to Bruce’s dismay. He’d practically been cuddled into his side.

“Sorry, I’ll just go back to my roo-”

Thor was already shedding himself of his armour and getting into bed. “Join me, Banner. We can help each other sleep peacefully.”

“Uh, OK,” Bruce stuttered, scratching his head nervously. He pulled back the duvet and got in beside Thor. When he was in the bed it didn’t seem anywhere near as big as it looked from the doorway, and he was painfully aware that neither him nor Thor were wearing a shirt.

“Sleep well, Banner,” Thor smiled, the light behind them dimming into darkness. Bruce lay down, making sure to keep his distance in case he made Thor uncomfortable.

“You can call me Bruce, you know,” he chuckled. “We’re sharing a bed after all.”

“Good night, Bruce,” Thor looked into his eyes, and Bruce wanted nothing more than to close the gap and kiss him. Maybe he should do it. He could barely see the outline of Thor’s face, and could just about make out his slightly parted lips.

Bruce froze in shock as Thor reached for his hand, bringing his knuckles to his lips and leaving a soft, lingering kiss on them. Bruce’s heart was pounding and he almost worried he’d Hulk out in bed again.

When Thor rolled onto his back, Bruce decided to bite the bullet and slung an arm over his chest. Thor didn’t move, only brought a hand up to Bruce’s shoulder to pull him closer. Bruce had never felt this relaxed before in his life, head resting on Thor’s shoulder and face buried in his neck. He was sure he was imagining things when he felt Thor press a kiss to his forehead.

-

Thor stood with Loki in a small room with a huge window. It was the first time in forever he was able to have a semi-normal conversation with his brother.

“So, Bruce Banner,” Loki smirked, turning to face his brother.

“Yes, what about him?” Thor asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You two are getting… close,” Loki chuckled to himself. “I’ve only ever seen you give that look to people you’re… how do you say it… _attracted_ to.”

“What? Me and Banner? We’re just friends,” Thor interrupted, but he wasn’t even sure if he believed his own words.

“Just saying, if you two can stop giving each other love eyes and stop with the endless pining, it’d be a big relief for me to not have to deal with your neverending nonsense.”

“Loki, I’m not quite sure I know what you’re talking about…”

“Oh brother, stop fooling yourself. You seem to have a soft spot for human scientists.”

“Yes, Banner is my friend-”

“So that’s why you were holding hands and about to start kissing when I walked in earlier is it?” Loki grinned. “Get over yourself brother. It’s painful to watch you pine like a lovesick buffoon.”

“Fine,” Thor sighed. “Maybe I do have romantic feelings for him. And what of it?”

“Aha!” Loki smiled triumphantly. “I knew you’d admit it eventually.”

“What am I to do about it? Soon we’ll be back on Earth, and we’ll go back to being the Avengers. He has more important matters to deal with than how I feel towards him.”

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to go back to Earth?” Loki said, arms held in front of him.

“Yes, of course, the people of Earth love me, I’m very popular.”

“Let me rephrase that,” Loki said. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to bring _me_ back to Earth?”

-

_After Infinity War_

Bruce was pacing the corridors of the Avengers building. They were really fucked this time. Thanos had won, half the universe was gone, including some of their closest friends. They needed to come up with a plan to get them back.

He was too stressed out to be with the other Avengers right now. Worried he was going to Hulk out, and this time he may truly never come back from the Hulk. This was exactly the kind of situation that was destined to end that way. Despite the Hulk abandoning him during the important part of the war, which he was still bitter about.

“That won’t work, that’s impossible,” Bruce muttered to himself as he walked. “Come on Banner, think of something!”

He found himself strolling into an empty room. At least he thought it was empty, until he noticed Thor sitting on the sofa, lifelessly stuffing bread into his mouth. He looked completely dead inside, staring at the wall with no sign of emotion on his face.

“Oh, hi Thor,” Bruce looked up, catching Thor’s attention at last. They hadn’t had a chance to speak during the battle for the infinity stones. This had been their first conversation in a while. There was still that unspoken tension between them.

“Banner,” Thor said, still not looking his way. Bruce’s face fell, he thought they were still on a first-name basis.

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” Bruce said. “I can give you space, if you want?”

Thor sighed, taking a bite out of some more bread. After a moment he spoke again. “You can stay.”

“OK, good,” Bruce took the seat next to him around the small table. “I’ve been thinking-”

“It was my fault,” Thor ground out, interrupting him mid-sentence and gripping the bread so hard it broke into crumbs on the table. “I could’ve stopped him, if I hadn’t been so _stupid_ , so thoughtless…”

“Thor, _Thor_ ,” Bruce interrupted. “You couldn’t have known. He was too powerful.”

“I should’ve gone for the head,” Thor said. “I’ve condemned half the universe to death, because of _my actions_ , Banner.”

“No, stop blaming yourself,” Bruce shook his head, reaching for Thor’s hand on the table and placing his over it. This seemed to relax Thor a little. “Half the universe is dead because of _Thanos_ , not you. You did everything you could to stop him.”

“It wasn’t enough,” Thor sighed. “I’ve lost even more than before. My brother, Heimdall… there’s no hope. There’s nothing we can do now. Thanos has won.”

“Hey, don’t give up just yet,” Bruce turned Thor’s hand over, linking their fingers together. “We’re coming up with plans, ideas. There might still be a way.”

Thor exhaled deeply, finally looking Bruce in the eye. “Thank you, Bruce.”

Bruce smiled at the use of his first name. “I’m here for you, I always will be. We’ll find a way, we always do, right?”

“I suppose,” Thor said. He turned in his chair and grabbed both of Bruce’s hands, holding them between him. “Do you still believe in me, Bruce? I’m not quite sure I believe in myself anymore.”

“Of course I do, Thor,” Bruce squeezed his hands. “You’re the god of thunder. You’re powerful with or without a hammer. You keep on fighting even when you lose everything. You’ve been there for me. That’s why I love you.”

Um, had Bruce just told Thor he loved him?

No taking that back now.

Thor looked down, trying to hide his smile.

“Thank you, Bruce,” he said. “That… means a lot. I- I love you too.”

Thor looked back up, and Bruce was smiling at him. The first time he’d smiled properly in a while. Bruce reached out, holding Thor’s face in one hand, the other still intertwined with his.

“God, I should’ve done this ages ago,” Bruce muttered to himself. “Can I kiss you?”

Thor’s lips twitched into a smile. “You can.”

Then the gap between them closed. Their lips were pressed together, kissing passionately, trying to convey all the feelings they’d both hidden. Bruce practically grinned into the kiss, this was so much better than any kiss with Natasha, he felt so loved, so appreciated, so safe. Thor was a good kisser and his lips were soft, along with the occasional scratch of his beard on Bruce’s cheek. When they pulled apart, their foreheads rest together, hands held tightly, clinging onto each other.

“If we die doing this, then we do that together,” Thor whispered. “I can’t lose you too, Bruce.”

“You won’t lose me, I promise,” Bruce leant in again to give him a soft, lingering kiss. “We’ll win. I believe in us, all of us.”

“As do I, my love.”


End file.
